Put up or shut up!

[smickied]

Originally posted by goblue
Why? just why? Would you squeeze a bottle of toothpaste into your tank, cause tap water is flouridated. Would you throw a piece of metal in there to just sit and rust? cause guess how tap water gets to your house. scrap together 100 bucks and buy one of those ---- RO/DI units. they work and you'll stop poisoning your tank.
In resoponce I never said I approve of tap water I DON'T.
creative editing removed the part where i said i'm trying to up grade my equipment and can't afford a RO unit now
when i set up i listened to the fish store and they said tap was fine, i realize the problems with it now, if i could go back i would change my approch at reefing.
send me the $100 and I'll gladly buy one but untill then I save my money and buy a quility one that i can get parts for.
And I dont know if this fortunate or not but I have well water with no flouride or cloriene (misspelled) added and the water comes from the ground in the well made of stone thru the PVC pipe, into the kitchen thru my purafilter into my tank.
SO please don't attack, its not nessary, I don't approve of tap water and would never recommend it. I am looking for a RO, thank you for your concern.
I'm not saying my tank is the best but its doing very well and reproducing and i'm am always learning.

 

[eaglefan]

I just wanted to thank you guys and gals. I've learned alot from this post. Waterfaller hows the leather doing?

 

[banshee]

Thank you, Beth.
I had 4 96 watt PC bulbs...2 white, 2 actinic.

 

[bang guy]

Nice tank Banshee!

 

[sammystingray]

waterfaller1, your tank is awesome, and the way the pictures show the progress really helps to illustrate how proper equipment makes a big difference. The first picture looks like a tank that uses tapwater and NO lights, and obviously the results you have obtained by upgrading to RO/DI and reef lighting are amazing. A picture is worth a thousand words. Beautiful tank.

 

[banshee]

Thanks, Bang!

 

[razoreqx]

Originally posted by waterfaller1
It has been a great year..and I feel like I owe alot of it to the great people here.You have helped my reef become what it is..and for this,I thank you.:happyfish

always a pleasure to look at your reef.. and I owe much of my success to your suggestions...
See what comes around goes around

 

[nicky1.8t]

ok guys i will put up my system
this is it when i first set it up

 

[nicky1.8t]

this is only a few months later

 

[nicky1.8t]

and here is my system now. i have usally listened to the people i deemed to be experenced by how there tank looks and the type of feed back they got from others here.
but a few thing i do that i shouldnt is use tap water from time to time when i cant get ro because i forgot to get some and the lfs was closed. as of now i do not have a refuge. i do have plans for setting one up soon though. but i have never had any seirous algea problems. a small battle with red bubble algea every 4 or so months. and as far as water changes go i have done 1 every 6 months. but it seems im not the only one who doesnt do the suggested water changes. that seems to be more contraversal topic than bb_bs.

 

[razoreqx]

Originally posted by Melody
Banshee ~ Your frogspawn and bubble are amazing! I see your flame hawk in there with shrimp. Wish my hawk wouldn't eat shrimp but she has expen$ive taste.
Benj2112 & Shouse ~ I found these two reactors. Not deltec though. First one is a Phosban Reactor model 150 comes with 1 jar 150 gm phosban for $44.99
wow thats not a bad price.. do you have a url for it?
email me kesselj@greenapple.com

 

[dburr]

... is it not still the general concensus that higher Ca and especially dkh levels lead to faster growth?
This may be, but, I always thought than they can only uptake what they can uptake. Just because the levels are higher what will make them uptake more? Kinda like 10 pounds of 5hit in a 5 pound bag. I figured levels higher incase they fell somehow. You would catch it before they bottomed out.
This is great reading, and looking, great pics, all of them. (well...)
We all want one more pic thou, BB, you do have a camera.:yes:

 

[benj2112]

Think there is any reason you couldn't use Rowophos in a lifegard?
Good job tracking this stuff down!!!

I didn't think of searching for phosban!!!

 

[benj2112]

Just search for phosban reactor model 150 and you will find the site with that "monthly special"... for the phosban model.

 

[benj2112]

Originally posted by Melody
Well, if you hadn't told me to search under fluidized bed filters then I would of never found them.:happy:
I was told you could use rowaphos in both those reactors. I'll ask around some more to be absolutely sure!
The rainbow is listed as "Rainbow Lifegard".
Hey it is a team effort I guess. That is what makes this site so good. I almost felt like I was lost before I found this site around christmas.

 

[wrassecal]

Originally posted by broomer5

I don't keep many difficult to care for corals. I have been able to keep a nice Sebae anemone for 2-1/2 years.

hope you don't mind that I use your sebae pic to show what they should look like

I've used the sebae pic and others though to show and not just tell. I definately believe in put up or shut up.
I've haven't been around a lot lately either, for me anyway. I got really tired of well, the reason this thread was started.
I have to admit, I'm not in a put up position right now as I've let my lighting go way over their functional limit and I'm experiencing some nuisance algae. We're going to redo the lighting and some heavy maintenance on the tank tommorrow. Then I'm sure I'll have a nice round of diatoms to look forward too.
NM - your new tank is looking great, I haven't seen it before. Thanks for starting this thread.
And so nice to see Guy's tank, and Carole's and it's always heaven to see/hear from Steve......
There are some great suggestions (and tanks) in this thread. Now I'm jazzed again!
:joy:

 

[nm reef]

Since I started this thread...I guess I can pick on somebody if I wanna...
Banshee...your example of a reef is simply sweet!!! Correct me if I'm wrong...but I don't believe any of us have said "never use tap"...or "never add plant life"...but instead a lot of us are at the point where one particular member ....one constant voice saying do this and this will happen but I really don't know how or why...that person needs to put up or shut up. Any of you folks notice the BB_BS has not made much of an appearence here...wonder why? Banshee...you reef looks sweet and I believe you'll continue to maintain a very nice aquarium and I in no way intended to offend or critize members with alternative methods...all I'm saying is BB_BS....put your results here for each of us to see or shut up...we are tired of your babble......
To each of the members that have contributed here I thank you....you folks have some very nice displays...and I bet no two are identical...thats another point I'm pleased got established here...there are multitudes of methods and systems that produce results....I for one am simply sick of the sermon according to BB_BS and personally would prefer he just shut up....and leave!!!!!!!

 

[nicky1.8t]

well said

 

[rbmount]

NM reef

 

[bang guy]

Originally posted by NM reef
but I don't believe any of us have said "never use tap
I may have said never use tap water, I don't remember. I have never said "tap water can't work". I try to tailor my recommendations around what I feel is the most likely course of action to yield long term success. Tap water is never in that course of action in my opinion. It's just too likely to have problems, either short term problems with copper killing inverts or long term problems with depressed immune systems from heavy metal poisoning.
Sometimes the best course of action is to just not start up an aquarium until you can dedicate the time & funds to do it right.
Some of our members that use tap water have very beautiful aquariums so it can obviously be accomplished. If the chances of success using tap water are 1 in 5 one member of the board would jump all over that saying "see, it can be done". If the chance of success without water changes are 1 in 3 this same member would recommend it because it's easier & cheaper. The combination of those techniques yields a success rate of 1 in 15 and yet he still pushes it. This is just my opinion of course, but it's based on seeing a LOT of aquariums, it's based on fixing a LOT of problem systems, and it's based on over 25 years of keeping my own systems on a tight budget. This member is advocating techniques that have a failure rate of 14 out of 15. If 90 new hobbiests implement the BB-BS about 4 of them will have successful aquariums. This member again, would stand proud pointing to this success and dream up every excuse in the book as to why the 86 hobbiests left behind failed.
Just a rant.
Have a happy holiday everyone!
Bang